When an interviewer asked Phillip K. Dick What is the most important quality for a writer to have? he replied A sense of indignation... A writer writes because it's his response to the world. It's a natural process, like respiration... The capacity for indignation is the most important thing for a creative person. Not the aesthetic capacity but the capacity for indignation... And especially indignation at the treatment afforded other people. To see some of the things that are going on in the world and to feel indignant...That is the basis of the writer.

Whatever it was that stimulated his creative juices, we are the lucky beneficiaries, as demonstrated in this collection of five stories, all first published in 1954.

In Exhibit Piece a long-suffering museum worker becomes a little too attached to his display of mid-20th century lifestyle.

In Upon the Dull Earth a young man refuses to let go of his soul mate, and he creates a chain reaction that he couldn't have anticipated.

In Progeny one man's idea of how to raise a child is challenged by new, more scientific techniques.

The Last of the Masters explores a post-apocalyptic world, where anarchists don't just occupy Wall Street, they occupy the entire planet.

Finally, in Breakfast at Twilight, a family awakes to find theirs is the only house left on their street, and they are forced to make the most important decision of their lives.

Other Titles by Philip K. Dick:

About the Author

Philip K. Dick (1928–1982) published thirty-six science fiction novels and 121 short stories in which he explored the essence of what makes man human and the dangers of centralized power. Toward the end of his life, his work turned toward deeply personal, metaphysical questions concerning the nature of God. Eleven novels and short stories have been adapted to film, notably Blade Runner (based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), Total Recall, Minority Report, and A Scanner Darkly. The recipient of critical acclaim and numerous awards throughout his career, Dick was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2005, and in 2007 the Library of America published a selection of his novels in three volumes. His work has been translated into more than twenty-five languages.

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